One mark on paper. Thats it. No taking it back no making it perfect. What you get is what you meant to get. Or not. In a world where almost everything can be changed that kind of finality feels really different. Continue reading!
People keep signing up for ink painting courses. The waitlists are getting longer. Its not because of big marketing campaigns. Something about putting down a screen and picking up a brush is drawing people in. They can’t quite explain it. This isn’t about missing the days. It’s about wanting something
Walk into a beginners session. You’ll see a mix of people. Software engineers sit next to retirees. College students share a table with parents. They all have lives but they have the same feeling of restlessness. What brings them together is a desire to create something that can’t be deleted.
The early lessons are tough. Your pine tree might look like a vegetable. Your mountain might look like an animal. One instructor told a room of frustrated beginners “Good now you know what not to do. That took me two years to figure out.” The room. Then everyone picked up their brushes and tried again.
The real learning happens like this: try, make a mistake understand and repeat. You don’t need to be patient to start. The practice helps you build patience bit by bit.
There are two approaches, to ink painting courses. Traditional programs teach Chinese or Japanese methods. They focus on the order of brushstrokes and the density of ink. Contemporary classes use the tools but try new things. Like abstraction and experimental mark-making. Both approaches produce artists. The difference is what kind of conversation you want to have with the art.
What surprises beginners is the philosophy that comes with ink painting. Empty space is a choice. A single brushstroke can say a lot. The question changes from “what’m I painting?” to “what am I trying to say?”
It used to be hard to get into ink painting. Now it’s not. Just pick up a brush. Make a mark. That’s where it starts.